CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A coward through and through, I didn't wait long before I made up some silly excuse to leave. I kept my ear out to make sure Evie wasn't giving Bella too much trouble, but mostly, I stayed in my room, pacing a hole in the floor, as I tried to garner the courage to go and speak to the girl.

Alice wanted me to go slow, after all.

Nightfall came, and I hadn't stepped one foot out my door. Bella went about as she normally did. I heard her playing in the living room with Evie, feeding her, and taking her up for her naps.

Day one of no family to intercede and I had wasted it. I needed to come up with a plan. A legitimate reason to speak to Bella and find natural ways to initiate conversations.

I stared out my window, desperately trying to find answers to all the questions bogging down my mind. Bella was asleep, and she wouldn't be waking for another two hours until Evie's next feeding.

A few snowflakes dropped down and landed against the window I had planted myself in front of. I watched as the powder began to dust the tops of the trees, and it reminded me of Christmas.

Christmas!

That was it. This was my in with Bella and natural conversations.

Bella wanted to give Evie the perfect first Christmas, even though the baby wouldn't recall a thing. However, Bella wanted ample pictures, so she could show her when she was older.

I would help Bella give Evie the perfect first Christmas.

I suddenly felt energized and nearly took off to wake Bella prematurely to discuss my brilliant idea. But I knew it wouldn't be right. Bella needed her sleep, especially if I wanted her in good spirits when we finally did speak to one another.

Bella's routine had become ingrained in my head, so I waited for her in the kitchen the next morning. Normally, she would feed Evie a bottle and get her back down, and then she would stumble down the stairs around seven o'clock in search of a pot of coffee.

I had the coffee ready. A task for which I was forced to watch a tutorial video on my phone to ensure I didn't screw it up.

Bella walked in half asleep, wrapped in a plush white robe. She halted when she saw me standing there with a large cup of coffee in my hands.

"Uh…is everything okay?"

"Yes…" I stammered, rethinking my plans. "Coffee?"

She took the cup from me hesitantly and raised it to her lips for a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't know you knew how to make coffee."

"I didn't, but I found on my phone quite a number of videos to help humans accomplish simple-minded tasks. How is it? Acceptable?"

She finished another sip and replied, "Yes, thank you."

She sat herself up on one of the high stools and placed the cup in front of her. She idly ran her finger around the rim, focusing a little too hard on the contents inside.

"So…where did you pop off to yesterday?"

I cleared my throat and slid into the seat across from her.

"I just…needed to contemplate…I mean…I…uh…" Once again, I was stuttering like a fool, Emmett screaming in the back of my mind to be natural. But it was like a damn pinball bouncing around in my head as to whether I should ask her out or wait. Was this the right moment? Was it the wrong one?

"You don't have to say. It's okay, Edward. Sorry I asked," Bella said with a sigh.

"No, I just…" I waited to come up with a decent reply. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Surprise?"

Get it together, Edward!

"I spent a large part of my day making a plan to help give Evie the best first Christmas ever. I know how important this is to you, and I wanted to do my part. So, for the first thing, I thought we'd take Evie to the mall and get her photo taken with Santa. I know it's kind of cheesy…"

"Edward," Bella gasped. "I love it. Absolutely."

She jumped up from her seat. Her feet danced in place, as she chugged her coffee.

"Let me get ready. Feed the baby and…" she deflated immediately from her excitement.

"I don't have anything for her to wear. Usually, kids are supposed to look festive when they sit on Santa's lap."

"Bella, we're going to a mall. You can't tell me there isn't a store inside that won't have what we need." I took her cup to the sink and added, "You get dressed. I'll get the car ready, and if Evie wakes up, I'll feed her and get her ready. Okay?"

She softened and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Sounds like a plan."

She began to retreat but turned back to me. "Thank you, Edward. I love this idea."

And maybe later, we can come back and watch a movie cuddled up in front of a roaring fire…

I nodded and didn't say the words that were dying to trip off my tongue. Bella hurried upstairs, and I flopped into the chair I had been occupying to berate myself for missing the perfect entry I'd needed to ask her out.

I didn't get the car ready as I'd said I would. Instead, I wasted my time running over our conversation and berating myself for not doing what I should. What if I never was able to ask Bella out? What if Alice saw my future changing already? Saw me alone and depressed for the rest of my existence?

And just like that, my phone rang.

I cringed, seeing Alice's name appear. She was calling to give me the bad news. I pushed the button to answer, but I couldn't spare a cordial hello.

"Edward…you're thinking on this way too much. Your future keeps changing like a nickelodeon flipbook."

"You have to help me. You have to tell me something you saw, so I can figure out how to make it happen," I pleaded.

"No. If I tell you now, you'll never figure it out. And you need to figure it out," she said rather harshly.

I pushed back the stool I was sitting on and jumped out of my seat in anger.

"Then, I guess I'll be alone. I can't do this. I'm not that kind of person. I don't have the self-confidence needed to pull this off."

I heard her sigh, and it took a few minutes of her vocal silence to figure out what she wanted to say. Mentally, she was reciting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. In French.

"Edward, why do you love Bella?"

I was caught off guard. My mouth opened, and I scoffed a little, as I was unable to come up with an adequate, timely response.

"You…you said she was my mate. You…"

"I didn't lie to you, Edward. What I saw was your future. Her future. You two together. It's a simple question. Why do you love her?"

I slumped back into my seat.

"Perhaps, before you figure out a way to ask her out, you should figure out…why you want to."

My mind…was blown.

"We can do many things. Extraordinary things. But we can't speed up time. That's why I told you to take this time to really get to know one another. You're at a disadvantage. We were all vampires when we found our mates. Even Emmett and Esme, they were too impaired by injury to fall in love while still human, but when they awoke as vampires, they were able to mate instantly. You have a human mate, and if she were a vampire, things might be different. But she can't see clearly, and she won't just have this automatic desire for you. And I'm afraid you need to figure out what it is about Bella you desire if you want to find the right moment to ask her out. Don't try fast-forwarding."

I wanted to sulk. To be angry and throw my phone, as if I were no better than a child throwing a tantrum in the toy aisle of a store. Why did I have to be the one with a complicated love life? It wasn't fair. I had to wait the longest for my mate, and now, I had to wait even longer because she wasn't a vampire.

"Before you ask yourself…the answer is yes," Alice added.

"Ask myself what?"

I heard a commotion in the background.

"Sorry, Edward. I have to go. See you all in a few days."

"Ask myself what?" I asked louder, but she hung up.

"I hate when she does that!" I growled.

"Edward?"

Bella was behind me. I turned to her instantly and saw she was dressed nicely. Black cashmere sweater and dark jeans. She'd even gone to the trouble of putting on a little makeup. She looked me over and bit her lip to stop her from saying anything.

"Crap," I huffed. I looked at my watch and saw how much time I'd wasted.

"I'm sorry, Bella. My sister called, and I got distracted."

"We can go another day…" she began to offer.

"NO!" I nearly screamed. "I mean…no. We can still go. It's early. Just give me a minute to get the car ready."

"Okay. I'll go and feed Evie and get her dressed. Do you think you can be ready in twenty minutes?"

I nodded, and she backed out of the kitchen, leaving me to feel like an absolute dufus.

I packed the diaper bag with an adequate amount of formula and bottles. I made sure to put in extra binkies…pacifiers. Sorry, Bella called them binkies or binkers for some reason.

I went to the closet and grabbed a handful of diapers and an extra wipe package then pulled out five blankets and began to cart all our things out to the Volvo in the garage.

I flipped on the garage light and was met with an exciting sight. A brand-new Volvo XC 90. I had been looking at this car, but I had yet to find the time to purchase it.

I opened the driver's side door and found a note on the seat.

Edward,

Wanted to get you the Porsche, but I knew you'd never drive it. So, settle on the boring Volvo once again. Congrats on the new family.

PS - We had a lot of fun blowing up your barf mobile.

Emmett

A small smile spread across my mouth. I shook my head and tore up the note so Bella wouldn't find it. I began loading up the new car, already finding the spacious nature to my liking.

The stroller was the first thing to go in. No need to purchase one when we arrived at the mall this time. Bella came down with Evie bundled up and stopped when she saw the new car.

Her mouth opened and then closed again. She didn't say anything, but instead shook her head. She went to the second row and placed Evie in the car seat.

I slid into the driver's seat and looked back just to check that Evie was, in fact, buckled in correctly. She was still rear-facing, which bothered me, since I knew any car accident we would ever get into, I could easily protect her from damage. We had to use these silly mirrors positioned expertly, so I could see her in my rearview mirror.

Overall, my family hadn't done a bad job making sure the car had everything we would need.

I set the GPS to find a route to the nearest mall before we headed out onto the highway.

"You're enjoying this a tad too much," Bella teased.

"Enjoying what? The drive?"

"The car. Even your near-perfect posture has reached new levels. You could balance a whole encyclopedia set on your head, you're sitting so straight and regal."

"What can I say, I appreciate fine craftsmanship. This is the exact car I'd been looking at for some time. It's one of the safest models on the road today."

She shook her head and smiled.

That was the first thing I noticed about Isabella Swan. Her smile could take my breath away. I could get lost in that smile. Her smile made me want to stop driving that instant and confess every thought and feeling I ever had.

But it wasn't enough. Alice was right. I needed more than just her smile to validate my feelings for her.

We pulled into the parking lot and began unloading. I took the stroller out, and Bella unhooked the car seat from the base and gave it to me. When Evie was ready to ride in style, and Bella had all her things from the car, I clicked the button to set the car alarm.

As we walked toward the entrance to the mall, it did not escape my notice that Bella was walking close to me as I pushed the stroller. It warmed me that she already felt comfortable enough to be that close in proximity to me, but as I looked at her face, it read something different.

Her eyes darted around the parking lot. Her brow was stressed, and I could see her hands clenching into tiny fists.

She was afraid.

I wanted to smack my forehead. How could I have forgotten what had happened the last time we had gone to a mall? Even if this wasn't the one where the crime had been committed, it had definitely left an impression on Bella.

"Bella, the Mercers are gone. No one is going to hurt you. And you have me, your very own bulletproof, extremely fast, personal bodyguard."

She tried to relax but failed.

"I know. I know my fears are unsubstantiated, but I keep thinking someone is going to pop out," she said, waving the anxiety out of her hands. "Do you think this feeling will ever go away?"

I shook my head. "Probably not completely. But hopefully, it'll lessen over time. In some ways, it's good to always remain vigilant. You have no idea how many crimes wouldn't have been successful if the victim had been aware of their surroundings."

We found a small boutique that was filled with cute outfits for babies and toddlers. As much as I wanted to completely buy the place out, Bella gave me a warning look after I placed the fifth outfit on the stroller.

"You shouldn't waste so much money. She'll wear these only once and then be grown out of them."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you we'd donate all of Evie's used baby clothes to the local shelter? If you tell me to stop, think about all those struggling mothers who'll go without…"

She socked me in the arm and then shook her hand for the mistake.

Bella held up two dresses and asked for my input.

"The gold. And be sure to get the tights and black shiny shoes."

Bella looked at me once again with a question in her eye.

"No, I'm not gay," I huffed.

She picked up the shoes and tights and put them with the outfit, keeping her laughter to a minimum.

"Whatever you say."

When we finally were finished with our purchases, we walked toward the massive Christmas display in the direct center of the shopping mall. The line was nearly as massive as the display.

"This is going to take forever," Bella whined.

"Why don't I stand in line, and you can go and take Evie to get her dressed."

Bella looked at the line and then towards the bathroom and seemed nervous.

"What if I went to stand in line, and you take Evie to get dressed?" she asked.

"Okay…" I said, pushing the stroller towards the restrooms. Bella went and got into the back of the line and waved at me. I wondered why she didn't want to dress Evie herself, but when I reached the restroom, I suddenly understood why she had sent me on this mission.

Evie had pooped.

No, it would be more accurate to say, Evie's nether regions had exploded. It was all up her back and on the car seat.

There were two changing stations outside the bathrooms. I began with pulling out the throwaway changing pads and placed two down before retrieving Evie from her seat. I held her up in the air and made a face.

"I think your mommy is in trouble," I said to her.

I put Evie down and began to slowly extract the soiled clothes off her. I tossed her pants and shirt into the trash below and then reached to pull the onesie down her body. Once all her clothes were off, I went to work detaching the diaper as if it were a bomb close to detonation.

I had to stop breathing. The sight was horrid. The smell could knock out every human within a five-mile radius. Okay, I knew I was on the line of being hyperbolic, but this was one seriously messed up diaper.

"Need help?"

I was so focused on the mission before me, I hadn't noticed the station next to me was occupied by a young woman and her child.

"No…I just wasn't expecting quite so much…so much," I said, trying to not sound uncouth.

"New dad?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that.

"Uh…well, kind of."

I pulled out my new package of wipes and began giving Evie a thorough cleaning. I nearly went through the whole pack before I was satisfied.

"Where's your wife? Did she stick you with the cleanup duty?"

"No, I'm not married."

I was getting frustrated. Why was this person asking so many questions? Did she think I wasn't the father and trying to inquire so she would have something to tell the police? It was then I remembered I could read minds. I had been so focused on the ungodly mess before me, I hadn't even thought to listen.

"Not married. Sexy. And a single father? No ring on the finger, either. Alexis, let's get ready to hunt."

I suddenly got a move on. I ripped open the shopping bag from the boutique and took out the outfit we meant to put on Evie for pictures today.

"That's so cute. You have good taste. Are you taking Santa pictures, too?"

"Uh huh," I mumbled, trying to not give too much away.

I pulled the dress over Evie's head and maneuvered her arms through the holes while she squirmed away.

Come on, Evie. Don't make this any harder. I need to get back to your mother.

"I'm Alexis, by the way. I was thinking maybe we can wait in line together. The line out there is…"

The woman began to babble on, while I pulled on the tights and fastened the shoes.

"…there's this place across the street that has the best ice cream sundaes. Maybe after…"

"All done," I announced, picking Evie up and cradling her with my left arm while maneuvering the stroller with my right.

I thought my rush to leave would have given the woman a sure sign I wasn't interested, but instead, she chose to follow me.

"Great, so are we."

She put her young boy back into the stroller and trailed on after me.

"As I was saying before…"

I looked at the line and saw Bella had moved up one aisle in all the time I had been away. She saw me and waved, until she saw the nag on my back. Immediately, I saw her smile fall, and she looked away.

"Sorry, I need to go," I said, parking the stroller and walking away rudely.

I excused myself past a few people to catch up to Bella, who immediately took Evie from me as soon as I made it to her.

"I was wondering what took you so long. Now, I see why," Bella grumbled.

"No, the reason I took so long was because you knew this little pooper left a crime scene that'd rival any modern-day serial killer."

"What?" she questioned.

"Evie pooped all the way up her back, through her clothes, and all over the car seat, which we now have to throw out because there's no way that poop factory is entering my brand-new car."

Bella was hiding her smile behind Evie. She turned away and mumbled, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh huh. You may have won this round, Miss Swan…" I glowered at her, even if she wasn't facing me.

"You forgot her bow, by the way."

I sighed and turned around to head back to the stroller to find the bag with the matching hairbow. For a second, I looked up and saw the woman who had been trying to get on my last nerve waving at me from the back of the line. I pretended to not see her and headed back to Bella.

"You could've invited your new friend up. I'd never get in the way of new love," Bella said when I returned to her.

"God, Bella. You really think that woman was my type?" I shuddered just thinking about it.

"All I'm saying is, Evie is, like, a surefire way to meet women…if you were looking."

"Well, I'm not," I snapped. Bella shifted her weight, and I felt bad for my behavior.

"Let me take her. I know how heavy she must be getting."

Bella handed Evie back and focused on the line in front of her instead of me, probably worried I would snap at her again.

"I get it. I didn't mean to offend or upset you. Lord knows I probably will never date again," she began.

Immediately, I stepped forward.

"Why not? You're young. You still have plenty of life left, too much to want to spend it alone," I said with a hint of worry.

She finally turned back to me. "Well, it's different now. I'm a mother. Any person I'd think of dating, I'd have to consider if it were a smart move for not just me, but for Evie, too. I'm dating for two. And there are just too many perves out there who'd date me to get to her. I can't go through the stress of wondering about honest intentions."

I bounced Evie a little, stepping forward, as the line finally began to move again.

"Then, maybe you should consider someone you already know."

Hint. Hint.

"And who would that be? Evie's father? God no! Anyone else…maybe, but I don't want to date someone…have them fall for me, only for me to have to tell them of my sordid past. They'd never look at me the same again, and I wouldn't blame them, because I can't even look at myself the same anymore."

"What past?" I furrowed my brow. I knew what she meant, but I waited for her to say it.

She looked at me and said my name pointedly.

"Oh, you mean when you were running for your life and keeping your baby safe? That past?"

"You should go into politics. You're truly a spin doctor."

I stepped closer, so I was nearly two inches from her face.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Bella. You're an amazing mother, and an even better human being. Don't ever let your past hold you back from happiness. You deserve love and so much more."

I heard her breath catch in her throat. Her eyes blinked, and she gave me a faint smile.

"Would you mind being in the picture with us? I want Evie to remember you were there. From the beginning."

I relaxed and nodded.

"I mean…can you be in pictures? Do vampires show up on film?" she whispered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, we show up on film." I shook my head at her ridiculousness.

"It's not like you came with a handbook," Bella said before stepping forward again.

"You can ask me any question you have." She started to open her mouth to take advantage of my offer. "Just…not right now," I corrected, quickly looking around at the other humans.

It took nearly an hour to reach the front. I'd wanted to bribe the elf up there for a front-of-the-line pass, but Bella wouldn't hear of it, so we waited. When it came time, Evie sat on Santa's lap, and Bella and I sat on either side. I purchased the largest photo package, of course. I couldn't help but stare at our first official family photo, even if Bella didn't know it.

When we arrived back to the house, I gave Bella the photos minus a few and helped her back upstairs.

"Thank you for today. I can't wait to see what we'll be up to tomorrow," Bella said, excited for my supposed plans.

I hung up Evie's new purchases in the closet and nearly melted into the clothes. What would we do tomorrow? I cringed, knowing she couldn't see me, and then I plastered a smile on my face and turned back around.

"Just you wait." I saw Evie on the bed and asked, "Do you want me to take her tonight?"

Bella looked down and shrugged. "If you don't mind."

"Never," I replied.

I grabbed a few things from the changing table and picked up my prize. I said goodnight to Bella and slid out her bedroom door. I took Evie over to my room and set her up on the bed.

I laid down beside her and gave her my fingers to play with. She grabbed onto my index finger and cooed.

"You have to sleep for a little bit. I have to find something to really impress your mommy tomorrow. I want her to love me as much as I love you. I'm going to be your daddy, Evie. Is that okay?"

She squeezed my finger, and I took that as a yes.

I leaned down and kissed her head.

"You're perfect. My perfect girl."

I brought my laptop over to the bed and sat down beside Evie. While she explored my ceiling and light fixture above, I began to research some ideas of what to do with Bella.

I typed in Christmas traditions, and the first one to pop up on my feed was an article regarding The Top Ten Hallmark Christmas Movie Cliches. I was going to scroll by, but I decided who better to tell me about love and traditions than some cheesy channel that talked about nothing else.

Gingerbread house and Christmas cookies. That seemed easy enough, but not really romantic. Log cabins, snow, and Christmas tree hunting. Not enough time to go to a log cabin, and we already had snow. It wouldn't make sense to go hunting for a Christmas tree when we would be leaving this residence soon.

Then, I saw it, something romantic and a Christmas themed tradition. Suddenly, I couldn't wait for Bella to wake. Now, I would just need some time to make the proper arrangements.

Evie began to cry, and I deflated. I looked at my watch and jumped up from the bed. Princess was in need of a bottle. My only hope was she would eat and then go to sleep. I needed to concentrate on tomorrow. Day two of wooing a woman.


AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. My apologies in advance. Next week, I will post the next chapter of Time Changer but I have been unable to write this week. I have a pinched nerve since Monday. I can barely walk. It hurts to sit. Mostly I have been laying down. I am in so much pain and nothing seems to help. I really hope it will go away but I am on day four with no relief in sight. I don't know if I am going to be able to stay sitting up for long enough to write so I am not sure when I will be able to finish the next chapter.

Thank you to Dollybigmomma for editing and being someone I can count on!

STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER.